The Majority of TTC Users Satisfied with the TTC, Overall

Torontonians think the Downtown Relief Line should be
the number one priority

Toronto, February 9th – In a random sampling of public
opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 977 Toronto voters, amongst those who
have used the TTC in the past month, two-thirds (TOP3: 66%) say they are
satisfied with the TTC, overall, but only 1 in 10 (9%) say they are very
satisfied. One quarter (28%) say they are satisfied with the TTC, and 1 in 10
(12%) say they are somewhat satisfied.

One-third (34%) say they are dissatisfied with the TTC, with about 1
in 10 (11%) saying they are very dissatisfied, the same proportion saying they
are dissatisfied (11%), and (12%) saying they are somewhat dissatisfied.

Respondents most likely to say that they are satisfied (TOP3) with
the TTC include those aged 65+ (86%), earning $20,000-$40,000 (73%) or the most
wealthy (71%), the least educated (75%), living in downtown Toronto (72%), and
supporting the Liberals (77%).

Respondents most likely to say that they are dissatisfied (BTM3)
include those aged 34 and younger (43%), females (36%), earning $40,000-$60,000
(41%) or $60,000-$80,000 (41%), living in East York (n=88)(39%) or Scarborough
(41%), and supporting the PCs (44%).

Satisfaction is lower amongst frequent
and rush-hour users.

Amongst those that use the TTC
daily, dissatisfaction is higher than average, (BTM3: 42%) with one-sixth (14%)
saying they are somewhat dissatisfied, just under one-sixth saying they are dissatisfied
(13%) and one-sixth (15%) saying they are very dissatisfied.

Amongst those that use the TTC
more than once per day (57%) a majority of users say they are dissatisfied, with
one-sixth (17%) saying they are very dissatisfied, few (4%) saying they are dissatisfied,
but more than a third (36%) saying they are very dissatisfied.

Dissatisfaction is also higher
than average amongst those that say they primarily travel during rush hour, with
4 in 10 (BTM3: 43%) saying they are dissatisfied.

Most
have experienced overcrowding on the subway

One-sixth (16%) say they always experience overcrowding on the
subway. One-third (35%) say they encounter overcrowding most of the time, with
4 in 10 (40%) saying they sometimes experience overcrowding. 1 in 10 (9%) say
they never experience subway overcrowding.

Unsurprisingly, satisfaction is tied to how much respondents
experience overcrowding.

Respondents that say they always experience overcrowding are also
highly likely to say they are dissatisfied, with two-thirds (BTM 3: 65%) saying
that they are dissatisfied with the TTC.

Respondents that say they experience most of the time are split,
with about half (TOP3: 53%) saying they are satisfied, and about half (BTM3:
47%) saying they are dissatisfied.

Respondents who only experience overcrowding sometimes, are much
more likely to be satisfied with the TTC overall, with a huge majority (TOP3:
83%) satisfied.

Respondents who never experience overcrowding are, unsurprisingly,
very satisfied with the TTC, with almost everyone (95%) saying they are
satisfied with the TTC, overall.

Rush
hour versus off-peak is a factor for experiencing overcrowding

Respondents who say they never experience overcrowding on the
subway, are also highly likely to be travelling during off-peak hours, with
(84%) saying they are travelling off-peak and one-sixth (16%) saying they are
traveling during rush hour.

Two-thirds (66%) of the respondents that say they encounter
overcrowding sometimes say they travel during off-peak hours, with the other
third (34%) travelling during rush hour.

Respondents that say they encounter overcrowding most of the time
are most likely to be travelling during rush hour (70%), with far fewer (30%)
experiencing overcrowding off-peak.

Respondents that say they always encounter overcrowding are mostly
travelling during rush hour (85%), with only one-sixth (16%) travelling
off-peak.

Half
feel unsafe because of overcrowding on the subway, just under half don’t

Half (TOP2: 50%) of respondents say that overcrowding on the subway
makes them feel unsafe, (BTM2: 46%) say it’s not too bad, while a few (4%) say
they do not know.

Overcrowding
makes 2/3’s consider other forms of transportation

Two-thirds (TOP3: 62%) say that overcrowding
will make them more likely consider other forms of transportation, with a third
(BTM3: 34%) saying they are not much more likely to consider other forms of
transportation.

One third (34%) say that
overcrowding makes them much more likely to consider other forms of
transportation.

Downtown relief line should be the
number one priority

The plurality, 4 in
10, (41%) say the downtown relief line is the project that should be the TTC’s
number one priority. In Scarborough, however, the Scarborough Subway extension
and stacked bus garage is by far the most popular option, with 4 in 10 (44%)
saying that should be the priority

One-sixth (16%) say
it should be the Scarborough subway extension and stacked bus garage, while 1
in 10 (12%) say it should be the Eglinton East LRT or Smart Track (10%). Few
(4%) think it should be the Waterfront Transit LRT network.

One-sixth (17%) say
they do not know which project the number one priority should be.

Respondents most
likely to support the relief line include those aged 34 and younger (44%),
35-44 (41%), or 55-64 (42%), the most wealthy (50%), with a college/university
(47%) or post-graduate (49%) degree, living in downtown Toronto (60%), and
supporting the NDP (45%).

“Overall, the
majority of users are satisfied with the TTC, but the satisfaction is reduced
for those who say they frequently experience overcrowding on the subway,” said
Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “Perhaps that’s why the
plurality of Torontonians feel that the downtown relief line should be the
TTC’s number one priority. Support for the DRL equals the support of all of the
other 4 stated options combined, including the Scarborough Subway Extension,
Smart Track, and Eglinton East LRT.”

Lorne Bozinoff,
Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at
lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.